Mac Pro Now Unavailable for Purchase from European Apple Online Stores

As noted by 9to5Mac, the Mac Pro is no longer available for purchase from Apple's European Online Stores. 

In late January, Apple informed its European distributors that sales of the Mac Pro would cease as of March 1st due to new regulatory requirements that go into effect on that date. At the time, Apple told resellers that it would accept orders up until February 18, a deadline that appears to apply to general consumers as well.

The Mac Pro is no longer able to be sold in Europe because it is not compliant with Amendment 1 of regulation IEC 60950–1. According to information from Apple, the issue has to do with the Mac Pro's unprotected fan blades. Compliance with the new regulation would require fan guards and increased protection of the ports on the electrical system. 

Apple's Mac Pro is now unavailable in European Union countries, EU candidate countries, and the European Free Trade Association countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. 

Though the Mac Pro has been discontinued in Europe, resellers are still able to sell remaining product after the March 1st deadline. Apple plans to continue to support existing Mac Pro machines and will supply replacement parts. 

Apple has also announced plans to offer a redesigned Mac Pro in 2013, following a minor update in 2012.

[Source: MacRumors]

Nokia Music+ now live for US Lumia owners

After launching the service across the pond just a few short days ago, Nokia's now ready to make Music+ available for the US -- confirming to us today its availability on Yankee soil. To recap, the paid subscription service ramps up the free app's offerings with higher quality audio, unlimited offline downloads and Mix Radio skips, multiple device use, as well as lyrics -- all for $4/mo. It's a significantly cheaper alternative to other freemium music streaming servicescurrently available in the Windows Phone 8 ecosystem. So, if you've recently gone Lumia, you might want to check it out.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple Releases iOS 6.1.2, Fixes Exchange Calendar Bug

Apple on Tuesday released iOS 6.1.2, which the company says fixes that maddening Exchange calendar bug. It was only last week when Apple verbally acknowledged a fix was incoming, so it’s nice to see the issue has been squashed rather quickly. The previous bug increased network activity and, in some instances, lead to decreased battery life. Some users even said their Exchange Servers blocked iOS altogether because of the increased network activity. The 12.8 MB update is available now, so just go to your Software Update tab under General in Settings.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

HTC One – Everything You Need To Know

You can worry all you want about specs, the number of megapixels and the density of a screen, but what ultimately matters is the experience. How does a phone improve your life, make communicating with the people you care about most easier? With the HTC One, the company covered what is by now becoming the standardized specs: big Full HD screen, fast processor, LTE, etc.

But the company has also introduced new features it hopes will change the way you interact with your super phone. By including BlinkFeed, you’ll have at-a-glance access to all your favorite social and news content, so you’re always up to speed. And with these so-called UltraPixels, HTC has engineered a better way to capture life’s moments, no matter how well lit the scene is.

It’s these thoughtful touches that make specs secondary, and shows that HTC, despite the company’s struggles, can craft a pretty darn good device. We’re excited to spend more time with this amazing-looking handset. Until then, stay tuned for more HTC One coverage.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Top 5 YouTube Alternatives

When I think Internet video, I think of YouTube. And to be honest, I'm more than confident that you do too.

Below, I have listed my top 5 YouTube alternatives.

1. Vimeo

Vimeo is a great video sharing website. Personally, I find that the videos that are uploaded to Vimeo are of a higher quality than the videos on YouTube. The creators aim for a higher quality, and normally more creative too.

2. Blip.tv

Blip.tv is more tailored towards web series. Blip.tv offers you access to a wide variety of comedies, dramas, comedies, arts, sports and other shows.

3. Veoh

Veoh is an Internet television company that allows users to find and watch major studio video content. It's not very well known. But it does let you upload substantial sized videos.

4. Viddler

Viddler is focused on the business side of video rather than the adverage customer. It's main aim is to build your company brand. It has a great analytics tool and you can customize your video player. Because Viddler is made for businesses, it does have a few payment plans.

5. yfrog

yfrog is famous for being a photo sharing website for Twitter. However, did you know that is also allows you to upload short videos too? yfrog is great for taking a short video, then sharing it to your Twitter followers.

What do you think about this top 5? What's your favourite video sharing website? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image Credit]

Xperia Z now on sale at Sony Mobile France store

It looks like Germany isn't the only country getting an early chance to pick up the Sony Xperia Z. The phone has just gone up for sale on the Sony Mobile France online store. Purchased SIM-free, the 5-inch, 1080p-toting handset will set French buyers back €649 -- that's not cheap, but nor is it significantly more expensive than the average high-end smartphone.

The phone is available in black and white -- the purple version isn't being offered unlocked, as it's exclusive to the SFR network in France.

The Xperia Z should start appearing in brick-and-mortar stores before long, starting with the Sony Store in Berlin. Other European territories are expected to follow around the end of the month.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Microsoft does a stealth price increase of Office for Mac

While no one was looking, Microsoft hiked the price of Microsoft Office for Mac. A note inComputerWorld also says Microsoft has stopped selling multi-license packages of the suite of office tools.

That makes Office for Mac 2011 the same price as Office 2013 for Windows. It comes about as Microsoft pushes for its cloud-based Office 365, a subscription-based plan.

A single license for Office for Mac Home and Student is now US$140, up 17% from the old $120 price. Office for Mac Home & Business was hiked 10% to $220.

We confirmed the new prices at the Microsoft online store and at the Apple online store. Some online retailers, such as Amazon, are still showing the lower prices, so you might want to grab a copy from those retailers before the price hike kicks in.

The prices might cause some people to shift to Apple's iWork, but that suite of applications hasn't been updated beyond bug fixes since January 2009.

[Source: TUAW]

Sony Shows Us the Evolution of the PlayStation 1, 2 and 3

If you still had any lingering doubts about whether or not Sony was set to unveil the PlayStation 4 at their special event this coming Wednesday, I think it’s safe to cast them aside.

Over the course of the weekend, Sony rolled out three separate videos. Each clip checks in at around two minutes and aims to gloss over what each console in the PlayStation line has given the world of digital interactive entertainment.

You’ll find the evolution of the original PlayStation at the head of this post, and you’ll see the evolution of the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 below.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Just in time: Scientists propose vaporizing asteroids

The sky is totally falling.

As if it weren't enough that a meteor boomed across the Russian sky today, shattering windows and injuring about 1,000 people, an asteroid 150 feet across is about to sideswipe our planet.

Asteroid 2012 DA14, while unrelated to the meteor, is just as scary. It will graze us at just 17,200 miles from the surface, passing between Earth and our geosynchronous weather and communications satellites.

Possible asteroid strikes are no joke, and if you ask me (or the dinosaurs), they represent the biggest threat to our planet aside from human stupidity.

Fortunately, some non-stupid humans are finally getting serious about countering this threat.

Two California scientists are proposing a system that could eliminate threats the size of 2012 DA14 in an hour, or even asteroids 10 times larger in about a year.

UC Santa Barbara physicist Philip Lubin and Gary Hughes, a researcher at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, came up with something called Directed Energy Solar Targeting of Asteroids and Exploration, or DE-STAR.

This "directed energy orbital defense system" essentially harnesses solar power, channels it into a phased array of laser beams, and then evaporates dangerous asteroids or comets or changes their orbits.

Based on current technology, DE-STAR could be built in various sizes, from something that would fit on a desktop to an array about 6 miles across. The bigger it is, the more powerful it would be.

A system the size of the International Space Station could begin to nudge comets and asteroids from their orbits, according to the scientists.

But if DE-STAR were 100 times larger, it could bombard its target with 1.4 megatons of energy per day, destroying an asteroid 546 yards across in one year.

The system could also be used to determine asteroid composition, and help propel spaceships for interplanetary travel. Theoretically, the largest configurations could power a 10-ton craft at near the speed of light, enabling interstellar voyages.

Great, but who's going to pay for this ray gun with warp drive? The scientists don't have an answer but say we should start small and keep working.

[Source: CNET - Click here to read the full story]

Picture of Alleged iPhone 5S Motherboard Leaks, Shows Off A7 Processor

A photo of what is allegedly the iPhone 5S’ motherboard has been let loose, showing off what appears to be an A7 processor. According to iOSDoc, who acquired the photo from a trusted source, the alleged motherboard is quite similar to that of the iPhone 5, indicating an incremental upgrade is inbound, similar to iPhone 4/4S territory.

Further speculation explores what we’ve already heard and, in the Apple world, these expectations aren’t outside the realm of possibility. Apple’s upcoming device will reportedly come with a quad-core chip clocked at 1.2GHz, along with Jony Ive’s repainted iOS 7 and a “highly improved Siri.”

Additionally, the next iPhone will come with PowerVR quad-core SGX554MP4 GPU that’s featured in the iPad 4, meaning folks will see an improved gaming experience. Other supposed enhancements include 2GB of RAM and, the holy grail of iOS user’s dreams: widgets in iOS 7.

None of this is substantiated and sounds more like hope than actual fact. Still, plenty of what’s being suggested sound like logical upgrades, though the rumors about what we’ll see in iOS 7 are certainly interesting, especially with Scott Forstall out of the picture.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Google Liberates More of Your Data With New Takeout Service

Google is once again trying to show itself as the friendly service that feels you own your ondata by adding a couple of more service to its Takeout product.

While Facebook continues to do everything possible to hold on to your data for as long as possible, Google has been adding more and more data liberation tools to its Takeout – now apparently being renamed to Takeaway – product. For some time you’ve been able to download all of your information from Contacts to your Profile, but now it has also added Blogger and Google+ to the services you can grab your data from.

The new Blogger extraction tool allows you to remove your entire history, or even as little as one blog post. On the Google+ side of things, you not only get your original posts, but also all of the data on the circles you shared it with.

Freedom of data you create should be a no-brianer, but it appears Google is one of the few companies that understands that.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Norfolk Apple Shop changes name: We sell cider, not iPads!

The Apple Shop in Hoveton, Norfolk, can't help you with queries about your iPhone oriPad. That's because it sells a different kind of produce altogether, namely local cider.

Unfortunately, since the Apple Store opened in Norwich in 2009, the cider-seller has been inundated with tech queries, so much so that the owner has decided to change the name to avoid any confusion. Starting in the Easter holidays, the Apple Shop in Wroxham Barns will be renamed The Norfolk Cider Shop,Norwich Evening News 24 reports.

The shop, which has been open 20 years, only started fielding queries in 2009, when the Apple Store opened in the Chapelfield Centre, in Norwich. What with the success of the iPhone and iPad, more and more people are getting their fruit-based stores mixed up, and have been calling to ask about tech products.

"Over the last 12 months, I have been inundated with calls and it has reached as many as 25 a week," Geoff Fisher, owner of the cider outlet, told the local paper.

"My brother Stephen, who used to work for Gaymer's at Attleborough, founded The Norfolk Cider Company in 1987 and opened the shop here in 1993," the 50-year-old said. "In those days there was no such thing as an iPod or iPhone and the problems only began after I took over the shop four years ago."

Fisher said he could see how people made the mistake, as the two outlets are listed right next to each other in the phone book, with the same Norwich 01603 prefix. "It can be very funny," he said, "but some people are very rude and they slam the phone down. All I can say to them is, 'I'm very sorry, I can't help you, but please do come along and get some proper Norfolk cider to get over your sorrows."

Image credit: Bill Smith

[Source: CNET]